Pettigrew State Park is located in eastern North Carolina on the low-lying peninsula between Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds south east of the town of Plymouth. The park is a bit unusual in that all though it is quite large, over 22,000 acres, most of that acreage is made up by Lake Phelps. The portion of the park that consists of solid ground amounts to around 5,700 acres spread along a narrow band of property surrounding the shore of the lake. Rarely more than a mile wide, the park offers little in the way of a wilderness environment but the natural communities preserved here, including cypress swamps, are teeming with wildlife due to the relatively sparse human presence in this part of the state. Also contained within the park is Somerset Place State Historic Site which preserves numerous buildings once part of a massive 100,000 acre plantation from the early 19th Century.

So, a hike with a little bit of history...one of my favorite kinds. The plan for the day would be to start about midway along the north shore of Lake Phelps and follow the Moccasin Trail and Bee Tree Overlook Trails for about 5 miles through the eastern half of the park. Along the way I'd be stopping by a couple nice overlooks of Lake Phelps, walking through the historic grounds of Somerset Place, and visiting the grave site of a Confederate General. All in all it promised to be an interesting morning on the trail...

The cemetery spur trail dumps you out at a trail split by this kiosk with no sign actually pointing you to the cemetery...it's not that hard to figure out though, as you can just about see it from here out by the field in the distance...

The gravesite of General James Johnston Pettigrew, a Confederate hero of Picketts Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg. He was killed as a result of wounds suffered covering the Southern army's retreat from said battle at Falling Waters, West Virginia...

Although Pettigrew State Park lacked the knock-you-flat beauty of many other hikes in North Carolina, it was able to offer some wonderful solitude and a close-up look at a natural environment somewhat unfamiliar to me...

Overall I had covered around 7-miles of trail in about an hour and forty-five minutes, veritable highway speed for one of my hikes! Arriving back at Somerset Place my family was waiting for a look around the old plantation, of which you can take a photo tour of in my 'History' albums!